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Past Exhibitions

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  • A person is looking at a framed picture. The picture looks like a square block of pink from a distance, but on closer inspection it's a stream of code for a virus.
    Exhibition

    Injecting Hope: The Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine

    Sat 25 Jan – Sun 27 Apr
    Injecting Hope was a free exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland, that presented the science behind the COVID-19 vaccine.

    National Museum of Scotland

    More info
  • A group of people playing different arcade games in the Game On exhibition.
    Exhibition

    Game On

    Sat 29 Jun – Sun 3 Nov 2024
    Conceived and curated by Barbican Immersive, Game On examined the history and culture of video games.

    National Museum of Scotland

    More info
  • A moment of eye contact with a leopard as it curls its tail, while striding over water.
    Exhibition

    Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023

    Sat 20 Jan – Mon 6 May 2024
    Wildlife Photographer of the Year  is the most prestigious photography event of its kind, providing a global platform that showcases some of the best photography talent from around the world for nearly 60 years.

    National Museum of Scotland

    More info
  • A Buddha sculpture holding an alms bowl.
    Exhibition

    Theravāda Buddhism

    Sat 16 Sept 2023 – Sun 9 Mar 2025
    This thought-provoking display charted the history and influence of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition across the world, including its role in Scotland today.

    National Museum of Scotland

    More info
  • A man from Oceania dramatically poses on a beach covered in a shallow layer of water and seaweed. Throwing his head back and striking a 'warrior pose', his long braided hair, traditional dyed cloth wrapping below his waist, and the boat paddle he holds make him seem powerful and heroic.
    Exhibition

    Rising Tide: Art and Environment in Oceania

    12 Aug 2023 - 14 Apr 2024
    Rising Tide considered our relationship to the natural environment through contemporary responses to climate change and plastic waste by Indigenous Australian and Pacific Islander artists.

    National Museum of Scotland

    More info
  • A model posing in a dress composed of black straws.
    Exhibition

    Beyond the Little Black Dress

    Sat 1 Jul – Sun 29 Oct 2023
    This exhibition explored design classics to cutting-edge catwalk creations, Beyond the Little Black Dress deconstructs this iconic garment and examines the radical power of the colour black in fashion.

    National Museum of Scotland

    More info
  • The Declaration of Arbroath laid out on a grey foam protective base set against a black background. The Declaration has dense Latin script across it with two small patches missing, and many strips dangling from the bottom affixed with green and red wax seals.
    Exhibition

    The Declaration of Arbroath

    Sat 3 Jun – Sun 2 Jul 2023
    2020 marked the 700th anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath, one of Scotland's most important historical artefacts.

    National Museum of Scotland

    More info
  • Dalek cyborg emerging from a vortex in space with a DNA double helix, police box, and earth in the background.
    Exhibition

    Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder

    Fri 9 Dec 2022 – Mon 1 May 2023
    This must-see exhibition brought a scientific perspective to The Doctor's adventures, drawing on content from across the full canon of Doctor Who.

    National Museum of Scotland

    More info
  • A colourful abstract textile design with colours of red, orange, yellow, and blue.
    Exhibition

    Bernat Klein: Design in Colour

    Sat 5 Nov 2022 – Sun 23 Apr 2023
    This exhibition explored the life and career of Bernat Klein, one of the 20th century’s leading forces in modernist design, marking the centenary of his birth.

    National Museum of Scotland

    More info
  • A large inflatable model of a parasite hanging from the ceiling of a multi-storey museum gallery.
    Exhibition

    E.coli by Luke Jerram

    Wed 3 – Wed 31 Aug 2022
    An installation of Luke Jerram's E.colli sculpture was suspended from the Grand Gallery in this temporary display.

    National Museum of Scotland

    More info
  • Anatomical drawing of the top half of a human from the back with skin partially pulled away to reveal muscle and veins underneath.
    Exhibition

    Anatomy: A Matter of Death and Life

    Sat 2 Jul – Sun 30 Oct 2022
    This exhibition explored the history of anatomical study, from artistic explorations by Leonardo da Vinci to the Burke and Hare murders.

    National Museum of Scotland

    More info
  • Woodcut print of three colourful birds perching on tree branches.
    Exhibition

    Audubon’s Birds of America

    Sat 12 Feb – Sun 8 May 2022
    This exhibition explored the artistry and legacy of one of the world’s rarest, most coveted and biggest books.

    National Museum of Scotland

    More info
  • Exhibition

    Extinction Bell

    Fri 24 Sept 2021 – Sun 9 Jan 2022
    The Extinction Bell was a work by Bristol-based artist Luke Jerram that raised awareness of biodiversity loss.

    National Museum of Scotland

    More info
  • Exhibition

    Scotland's Climate Challenge

    Fri 24 Sept 2021 – Tue 22 Mar 2022
    This small exhibition highlighted the exciting work being carried out in Scotland to fight against climate change.

    National Museum of Scotland

    More info
  • Green mechanical typewriter from the early 1900s with white keys. It says 'The Oliver No. 3, Standard Visible Writer' on the front.
    Exhibition

    The Typewriter Revolution

    Sat 24 Jul 2021 – Sun 11 Sept 2022
    This exhibition explored how typewriters have helped to influence both society and technology, and why they are still popular today.

    National Museum of Scotland

    More info
  • A person with there arms folded standing in front of a lego model of a concorde plane.
    Exhibition

    LEGO® Concorde Model

    Mon 28 Jun 2021 – Sun 6 Feb 2022
    Master builder Warren Elsmore and his team created a LEGO® Big Build of our very own Concorde, especially for us.

    National Museum of Flight

    More info
  • Several silver objects are laid out on a black table. Pillows prop up a cross and arm-ring bundle with the rest organised by object type.
    Exhibition

    The Galloway Hoard: Viking-Age Treasure

    Fri 21 May – Sun 12 Sept 2021
    Visitors were able to see cleaned and conserved objects from the Hoard, revealing intricate decoration not seen since the objects' burial more than 1,000 years ago.

    National Museum of Scotland

    More info
  • Exhibition

    Scotland’s Precious Seas

    Wed 19 Aug 2020 – Sun 15 Aug 2021
    National Museums Scotland collection contains over 4 million marine invertebrates and 120,000 marine vertebrates. The objects on display demonstrated how these collections help us monitor the changing life in our waters.

    National Museum of Scotland

    More info
  • A Tyrannosaurus Rex running outside of Edinburgh Castle.
    Exhibition

    Tyrannosaurs

    Thu 23 Jan – Mon 4 May 2020
    Tyrannosaurs explored the most feared and revered of all dinosaurs, bringing the latest palaeontological discoveries to life and challenging preconceptions about these ferocious predators.

    National Museum of Scotland

    More info
  • Two school pupils in lab coats standing next to a projection of a microscope slide. The slide shows parasite cells.
    Exhibition

    Parasites: Battle for Survival

    Fri 6 Dec 2019 – Sun 19 Apr 2020
    This exhibition explored the challenges we face in fighting five of the most persistent parasites and the people who are fighting against them.

    National Museum of Scotland

    More info
  • Exhibition

    Wild and Majestic: Romantic Visions of Scotland

    Wed 26 Jun – Sun 10 Nov 2019
    Wild and Majestic considered the representation of Scotland around the world and explored the beginnings of the Scottish tourism industry.

    National Museum of Scotland

    More info
  • Seven women wearing blue jeans and white tshirts with numbers on them standing in a row with their arms around each other
    Exhibition

    Body Beautiful: Diversity on the Catwalk

    Thu 23 May – Sun 20 Oct 2019
    This exhibition looked at how today’s fashion industry is challenging perceptions and championing alternative ideals of beauty on the catwalk, in advertising, editorial and behind the camera.

    National Museum of Scotland

    More info
  • A poster advertising the Friends Ambulance Unit. A member of the unit is sitting in an ambulance with the door open, writing a note.
    Exhibition

    Conscience Matters

    Fri 8 Mar 2019 – Sun 26 Jan 2020
    Conscience Matters examined the application process for conscientious objection, the reasons people had for opposing conscription, and what happened to them as a result.

    National War Museum

    More info
  • A white robot reading a book.
    Exhibition

    Robots

    Fri 18 Jan – Sun 5 May 2019
    From early mechanised human forms to today’s cutting-edge technology, this major exhibition revealed our 500-year quest to make machines human.

    National Museum of Scotland

    More info
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